Britian's richest handicap hurdle is on the horizon once again and Saturday's race at Newbury has attracted 16 runners with the usual mix of seasoned handicappers and unexposed novices. The going is currently good-soft, soft in places but with a dry week forecast, we will likely have predominately good-soft ground come race day. Despite the money on offer, the race has not been popular with Irish trainers and the last Irish-trained winner was Essex in 2005. This year we don't have a single runner coming over the Irish Sea (proximity to Leopardstown and Cheltenham festivals?). The market is currently headed by three of the aforementioned unexposed novices in JPR One, Knappers Hill and Bloomfield Burg. JPR One is rated 129 but I am just not convinced by the level of form he has achieved and I can't see him getting competitve here. Bloomfield Burg is rated 134 but I get the feeling he likes to boss inferior rivals but doesn't have the stomach for a fight - witness his two defeats over hurdles where he seemed to down tools when asked to fight. Not for me in a Betfair Hurdle. Which leaves us with Knappers Hill who, yard form aside, looks at have an outstanding chance. His 3rd in the Kennel Gate has been franked and a rating of 135 for that performance looks lenient indeed. I Like To Move It was 11 lengths behind Knappers Hill in that race (conceding 7lbs) so also looks well treated off 138, especially on drying ground. Soaring Glory took this off 133 last season and started this season with a very good victory at Ascot off 143. He has been by no means disgraced in 2 runs thereafter, including 3rd in a weak looking Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, and goes here off a mark of 147. That means he carries top weight but he makes by far the most appeal of the 4 horses at the top of the weights - he had Tritonic well held at Kempton, the ground has gone against Metier and I just get the feeling the track doesn't suit Glory and Fortune (has struggled here twice in the past). Boothill reverts back to hurdles after a poor chase debut and could go close if repeating his Ascot run (beaten 3 lengths by Soaring Glory and has a 4lbs pull here) - but that is a big if for me, especially after his lengthy absence last year. First Street is up 9lbs for winning at Kempton and looks high enough in the weights for now - the trainer also seems unsure of his best trip. Jetoile got closest to Constitution Hill at Sandown but would surely prefer more testing ground and Fifty Ball, who finished 2nd in this off the same mark last year, has an abortive chase campaign to overcome. Given the poor Nicholls yard form, I am passing over Knappers Hill and my selection is I Like To Move It. His trainer has won 2 of the last 5 renewals and, with the ground hopefully drying out all the time, I think this likeable novice can get back to winning ways.
I said ages ago that the 2 for me, re this race, were Broomfield Burg and No Ordinary Joe. Both, in my opinion, are potentially some way ahead of their respective handicap marks of 134 and 136. They represent the same owner / trainer combo and therefore it was somewhat doubtful that both would contest the race. No Ordinary Joe not amongst the 16 ants, sorry decs, so for me its an easy conclusion. Broomfield Burg is the one. Looked very good on St Stephen's Day and 134 should be highly exploitable. Plus the barn know what it takes to win this heat having won it 5 times. Got to say though just 16 decs at the 5 day stage is very, very disappointing. Hope the Betfair Hurdle isn't going to same way as the course's premier chasing handicap.
A final field of 14 have been declared, this morn, for the Betfair Hurdle. Broomfield Burg included. The Denman and The Game Spirit have got just 5 each. Bravemansgame one of 6 in the novices handicap chase which commences the card.
Oddy, you’re very brave to preview Saturday’s Betfair Hurdle, especially since it’s undoubtedly the poorest quality renewal of what was previously the Schwepppes and Tote Gold Trophies. Despite the £87,000+ for the winner being our richest handicap hurdle, its relative value, compared say with the Champion Hurdle, has steadily declined in the last fifty years; partly due no doubt to the unwillingness of owners and trainers to compete on handicap terms with their Group horses. In fact, Saturday’s race is so poor in quality that most of the field wouldn’t even get in the handicap range for say the best two mile quality handicap I ever saw ie. Persian War’s memorable 1968 Schweppes triumph. How sad that trainers lack sporting ambition, not only in relation to handicaps but also in overprotecting their top horses- to run only 4-6 times per season, based on targeting one meeting at Cheltenham in March. Personally, I feel Cheltenham is killing, maybe unwittingly, the National Hunt season. It should be the cream atop a fine season, not almost the sole pinnacle it has become. Even Cheltenham’s November and December meetings seem to be waning in numbers and quality. What do other members think?
It is a poor renewal in terms of numbers, but is it in terms of horses? We have the first two from last seasons race and a host of novices who could have sparkling careers. To me it looks the typical level of Betfair hurdle of the last decade, where novices are taking on grade 2/3 horses in a handicap, albeit that does show how far the race has decline since the 00s and earlier. In terms of this race, which horses in the UK are missing? The fact is NH racing in the UK is in a deep hole, we lack quality at the top end, and even quantity in top handicappers. It is getting worse and do you know what, I don't think we can blame Cheltenham for it. The whole sport is an utter mess.
"In terms of this race, which horses in the UK are missing?" Nass, my answer to that is "Any Grade 1 or 2 horse wanting an £87,000 prize." The trouble is they don't fancy giving weight away, even to a poor bunch. Where are you, Honeysuckle??
Honeysuckle won the grade 1 Irish champion hurdle last weekend Tamerlo. €114,000 euro. Would make absolutely no sense for her to be In the betfair hurdle with that race a penalty kick for her in recent seasons on home soil.
STH, I was only speaking jocularly to highlight how top horses nowadays are frightened to death of handicaps.
Interestingly the Betfair Hurdle pays more for coming 3rd than the winner got in that god awful "Contenders Hurdle" last Saturday at Sandown (contenders for what, I do not know). Goshen, Guard Your Dreams and Song For Someone would all have carried top weight in the Betfair Hurdle so I can imagine they wouldn't have fancied that but I would have thought Global Citizen worth an entry off 136. As Nass said, the 2 mile hurdle division is absolutely rank at the moment and I bet the Hamilton's can scarcely believe their luck with Tommy's Oscar.
7 years ago Coneygree won the Denman Chase on the way to becoming the first novice for 40 years to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was never the same horse thereafter which to me screams "carpe diem" and I can't believe Nicholls isn't sending Bravemansgame to the Denman Chase then Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Completely different horses though, BMG is a embryo of a chaser still, he doesn’t have the power that Coneygree had, and hopefully not the same leg issues either. Ahoy Senor for me is much more Coneygree like and would be one I’d be fascinated to see thrown into a Gold Cup.
The most obvious omission, in my book, would be Stage Star. Runs tomorrow for a 1st prize of £15,946 rather than today's £87,219. Somewhat surprised that the Devizes crew sanctioned this as they do love a pound note.
